How To Start 2019 The Right Way (Setting Goals vs Setting Your Intent)

Not sure how 2018 went for you but I hope it was a good year

If it was pretty tough or you didn’t manage to achieve as much as you’d hoped then the good news is that it’s a brand new year and we all get another chance to do it again

Let’s be honest – no one is going to have any less to do this year – Actually, there’s a strong chance that you’re going to have even more loaded on to your plate in 2019 – but to succeed and not have a mental breakdown – you’re going to have to be super intentional

If you’re not intentional – well that’s when things can get out of control. If you haven’t set boundaries around the important things in your life then it’s almost a certainty that the non-important things will creep in and overwhelm you

Some people love setting goals and some people hate it – I think I’m kinda over setting goals – I think I prefer to set my INTENT for the year In the past, I was really big on goal setting and using the S.M.A.R.T. mnemonic to do so – ie. are your goals:

[S]pecific

[M]easurable

[A]chievable

[R]ealistic

[T]ime-Based

GOALS – break down into activities, tasks, and subtasks – which felt quite robotic and inflexible to me – and they’re also focused on the destination or outcome – whereas INTENT – or intention, focuses on the journey and the process, and requires daily mindfulness – ie. what behaviors, habits, and routines will move me closer to the thing that I’ve intended

I also think it’s a little more forgiving than the rigid SMART mnemonic – and requires the practice of self-compassion – ie. didn’t get it right today? that’s OK. Forgive yourself, pick up where you left off and “simply begin again”

I’ll be sitting down with a few of my athletes this month to look at what’s on their agenda for the year ahead and look at ways to set their intentions for the following key areas of their life:

Health & Fitness

Mental/Emotional

Partner/LOVE

Family

Friends

Mission

Experiences

Spirit

Finances

Learning

Setting your intent starts by asking yourself the question “What do I want for myself in these key area/s?”

The good news is that you don’t have to have all these things planned out and set in stone by tomorrow – I’ll be using the rest of the month to go over the list above, and start asking myself what I want out of 2019

I’ll then spend some time coming up with a list of behaviours, habits and routines, that will move me closer to what I want for each key area – not an exhaustive list by any means, just a few dot points that I could expand on later

Now it’s your turn 😉

Perhaps you’ve set some goals for 2019 or maybe you haven’t – but I’d strongly encourage you to have a look at the list above, ask yourself what you want out 2019 and start jotting down some ideas

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed or don’t really know where to start and would like a hand in coming up with a set of strong intentions for the year ahead, hit me up for a 1:1 and let’s whiteboard the shit out of it!

I’m really looking forward to helping you get the most out of your health & fitness in 2019!